McLaren F1 Battle With Norris in Bahrain GP ‘Fair’: Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo has finished his first race with McLaren. The Australian driver crossed the line in seventh place, earning six points for the Woking-based team. In the race, he also had a close battle with his teammate Lando Norris, but thinks both gave the other enough room to race.

Norris finished with an impressive 4th place at the Bahrain Grand Prix and bagged 12 points, but Ricciardo feels he has taken some notes from his first race.

The Woking-based outfit hopes they can have better results in the next race at Imola, as they will have the belief that Norris and Ricciardo can work together and score points for the team.

Daniel Ricciardo feels he left enough room for his teammate Lando Norris

In McLaren’s unboxed video, Ricciardo revealed that both drivers set the tone in the first race itself. Zak Brown asked, “It looked like you wanted to race at the start?”,  Ricciardo replied, “How was is it a bit going on. It’s race one, lets set the tone, we will put some trust in each other.”

The Australian added, “It actually seemed very fair I know, we [were] side by side for a long time, but I never felt like, I felt that we gave each other room.”

Zak Brown has bet with Ricciardo if he gets on the podium

The Australian had bet with Cyril Abiteboul during his days at Renault which stated if got on the podium, Cyril would have to get a tattoo. Now McLaren’s Brown placed a similar bet with Ricciardo. However, he won’t be getting a tattoo. Instead, he will give Ricciardo the keys to an iconic racing car.

The Mclaren CEO gave him a model of Earnhardt’s 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet and stated he will get the real thing once he lands a podium. Brown said, “You can keep that version as a signing-on bonus but I’m thinking your first podium, you give the real thing a go.”

Zak Brown also jokingly stated that he will do Ricciardo’s iconic podium celebration, “The Shoey”. However, we will have to wait till the 18th of April to see if Ricciardo can get on the podium, claim the keys to the car, and give his boss the taste of champagne from his race boots.

What are your predictions for the Australian driver at the race in Imola? Will he get a podium in Italy or will we have to patiently wait as the season goes by to see Ricciardo on the podium in his McLaren overalls? Let us know in the comments below.

Also Read: 2021 Australian GP: Daniel Ricciardo’s Verdict on New Albert Park F1 Track Layout